Plural sources beverage dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

A soft drink dispensing system comprising: a plurality of sources of syrup each maintained at a relatively low pressure; a source of soda maintained at a relatively high pressure; a hand-holdable, fully mechanical valve control means having a plurality of fluid inlets and a fluid dispensing head at a fluid outlet thereof; and conduit means connecting said plurality of syrup sources and said soda source to different inlets of said valve control means; and said valve control means including a housing, a plurality of normally closed valves in said housing one for each different syrup source and each including a valve cavity extending from an outer surface of said housing, a valve spindle in said cavity with an upper end portion exposed beyond said outer surface, upper, intermediate and lower spools on said valve spindle, a first inlet port into a side of said cavity immediately below said lower spool, a second inlet port into a side of said cavity immediately above a top of said intermediate spool and below said upper spool, a first outlet port from a side of said cavity above said first inlet port and below said intermediate spool, a second outlet port from a side of said cavity below said second inlet port, a first seal on an inner wall of said cavity between said first inlet and outlet ports slidably engaging an outer surface of said lower spool to block fluid flow between said first inlet and outlet ports when said valve is in its normally closed position and releasing from said lower spool as said spindle is moved axially into said cavity to define an open position for said valve, a second seal on an inner wall of said cavity between said first and second outlet ports slidably engaging an outer surface of said intermediate spool to block fluid flow between said second inlet and outlet ports and said first outlet port, a third seal on an inner wall of said cavity between said second inlet and outlet ports slidably engaging an outer surface of said intermediate spool to block fluid flow between said second inlet and outlet ports when said valve is in said closed position and releasing from said intermediate spool as said valve is moved to said open position, a fourth seal on an inner wall of said cavity between said second inlet and a top of said cavity slidably engaging an outer surface of said upper spool to block fluid flow from said top of said cavity, and spring means for urging said valve spindle away from a bottom of said cavity to said closed valve position, said spindle being finger depressible in said cavity to said open valve position, and conduit means in said housing connecting said first inlet port to said fluid inlet connected to said soda source, said second inlet port to a fluid inlet connected to a syrup source and said first and second outlet ports to said fluid dispensing head, whereby soda at said relatively high pressure acts on the lower spool of each valve to produce an upward force rapidly moving the valve from said open to closed positions upon a release of its associated valve spindle and an initial upward movement thereof in response to its associated spring means.